Talk To Me

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Talk to Me tells the inside story of how the field of hostage negotiations was created. In the wake of major 1970’s tragedies such as the Attica prison riot and the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, the NYPD realized there was an urgent need to develop a system for handling hostage incidents. With news archives and first-hand accounts from hostage team founders Frank Bolz and Harvey Schlossberg, we bring to life cases large and small to explore what worked—and what didn’t. The world’s first hostage negotiation team pioneered the use of psychology in saving lives and created a model that is still used around the world today. The series is written and narrated by Edward Conlon, a veteran South Bronx detective and New York Times bestselling author. An XG Productions Series.

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    • Apr 12, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 27m AVG DURATION
    • 27 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Talk To Me podcast is an excellent show that delves into the fascinating world of hostage negotiations. Hosted by Ed Conlon, a former officer and negotiator himself, this podcast provides entertaining and educational content about the history and psychology behind hostage negotiations. The storytelling is top-notch, with Conlon delivering a masterful origin story of hostage negotiation from its inception in the NYPD to the modern principles involved. The podcast is well-made, with expert editing that keeps the pace engaging and ensures there is no dragging or unnecessary content.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is its ability to blend real stories with historical context. Listeners not only get to hear gripping true stories about hostage situations, but they also learn about the origins and development of hostage negotiation as a field. This incorporation of history adds depth and richness to the storytelling, making it both informative and entertaining. Additionally, Conlon's natural talent for storytelling shines through in his narration, making each episode captivating and immersive.

    However, one drawback of this podcast is the length of its episodes. At only 15 to 20 minutes per week, it can be easy to forget what happened in the previous episode when listening on a weekly basis. It would be beneficial if episodes were longer or released more frequently to allow for a more continuous listening experience. However, despite this minor inconvenience, the content itself remains compelling and well worth the wait.

    In conclusion, The Talk To Me podcast is highly recommended for those interested in true crime or interested in learning about hostage negotiations. The combination of gripping storytelling, historical context, and expert editing make for an engaging listen that will leave listeners wanting more. Whether you're a former officer/negotiator looking to hear about the origins of your field or simply someone who enjoys intriguing true stories, this podcast delivers on all fronts. Give it a listen and prepare to be captivated by its content!



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    Latest episodes from Talk To Me

    Bonus Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2023 37:43 Transcription Available


    In this bonus episode, the NYPD trains its first class of hostage negotiators since the beginning of the pandemic. To prepare for dealing with people on the worst day of their lives, the class begins with detectives sharing stories of their own hardships

    Road To Nowhere Part 5

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2023 19:18 Transcription Available


    In the season finale of "Talk to Me," hijacker Luis Robinson leads police on a high-speed chase through Kennedy airport. Negotiators still have to try to reach a man they can't even catch.

    Road To Nowhere Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 19:51 Transcription Available


    Hours into the bloody standoff at JFK Airport, there is finally a breakthrough: hijacker Luis Robinson agrees to talk with police. But hopes for a peaceful resolution prove premature

    Road to Nowhere Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2023 24:04 Transcription Available


    The Hostage Negotiation Team believed that the passage of time always worked in their favor---that the threat of violence diminished as the hours passed. But the hostage standoff at JFK Airport would put that belief to the test

    Road to Nowhere Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2023 26:04 Transcription Available


    With two dead and one wounded before negotiations have even begun, the 4th of July hostage crisis at JFK airport appears to be headed toward a disastrous conclusion

    Road To Nowhere

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2023 33:41 Transcription Available


    On the morning of a hot Fourth of July in 1977, Frank Bolz and the team negotiate with a man with an axe, holding a two-year-old hostage. They're getting ready to go home when another job comes in: a bus has been hijacked, and hostages have already been shot.

    Talk Radio Part 5

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 26:02 Transcription Available


    As the hours pass by, bank robber Cat Olson begins to realize that he's not the star of a movie. But he still can't make up his mind about how his story will end.

    Talk Radio Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 14:37 Transcription Available


    Bank robber Cat Olson is thrilled by his newfound celebrity until he is confronted by a voice from his past

    Talk Radio Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2023 16:07 Transcription Available


    A bank robber has his fifteen minutes of fame when he's interviewed live on air by a DJ at his favorite radio station

    Talk Radio Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 21:46 Transcription Available


    Weeks after the classic hostage drama “Dog Day Afternoon” is released, it inspires a bank robbery in Greenwich Village

    Talk Radio Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2023 22:16 Transcription Available


    Frank Bolz is threatened with transfer from the Hostage Negotiation Team when a young drifter robs a bank in Greenwich Village, demanding the release of Patty Hearst.

    Intermediaries Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 19:47 Transcription Available


    Intense bonds can form between hostages, hostage takers, and negotiators. The most notorious example of this process occurred during a 1973 bank robbery in Sweden that inspired the term "Stockholm Syndrome."

    Intermediaries Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2023 19:44 Transcription Available


    When an ex-cop turned TV reporter is asked to negotiate at a bank robbery, he learns how quickly things can go wrong

    Intermediaries, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2023 29:36 Transcription Available


    When madman goes to a pizzeria asking for a box to hold his shotgun, the NYPD tracks him back to his apartment. In the shootout that follows, a cop is trapped inside, caught in the crossfire between the gunmen and his brother officers

    Intermediaries: Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2023 26:46 Transcription Available


    When a man claiming to have a bomb takes over an office in the World Trade Center, the NYPD's Hostage Negotiation Team weighs the risks of using outsiders and go-betweens to negotiate.

    Raid Jacket Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2022 32:38 Transcription Available


    As nights pass without progress in the hostage siege in South Jamaica, an angry crowd threatens to riot. Meanwhile, Frank Bolz has to negotiate with his own bosses, who don't believe that his psychological approach will work

    raid jacket south jamaica
    Raid Jacket

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 37:10 Transcription Available


    In the wake of a racially-charged shooting by a police officer that rocked the city of New York, the HNT tries to save the life of a child held by a three-time killer with a .357 Magnum in South Jamaica, Queens

    Family Matters

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 44:59 Transcription Available


    Though the Hostage Negotiation Team was created in anticipation of high-profile terrorist incidents, it proves its worth in handling domestic crimes with some very complicated family dynamics

    Theory in Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 44:40 Transcription Available


    The successful conclusion of the siege of John and Al's was a rare bright spot for the NYPD in early 1973, when crime was soaring and the department's reputation had been battered by scandals uncovered by the Knapp Commission. Later that spring, Frank Bolz created the Hostage Negotiation Team. We join the team for unprecedented access as Harvey Schlossberg describes the types of criminals who take hostages and how psychology can be used to peacefully resolve a crisis.

    practice theory nypd knapp commission
    I’ll Kill You First, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 31:10 Transcription Available


    As hours pass at John and Al's without a breakthrough, intermediaries are brought in to help ease the tension, but one of them has a hidden agenda of his own. When the hostage takers announce that everyone inside will die before they surrender, one of the hostages devises an escape plan

    I’ll Kill You First, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 27:51 Transcription Available


    The NYPD's pilot program for hostage negotiation undergoes its first trial in January 1973, when four men rob John and Al's sporting goods store in Brooklyn seeking revenge for a mass murder in Washington, DC. Though an early gun battle leaves three cops shot—and one dead—police hold their fire for almost two days as they negotiate with the robbers, who now possess an arsenal of weapons and ammunition.

    T-I-M-E Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 34:57 Transcription Available


    When another officer doesn't want to run the new hostage program, detective lieutenant Frank Bolz is given the opportunity of a lifetime. Bolz and Schlossberg form a bond, and together they begin to introduce their radical new concept—that it's better to wait, that it's possible to talk—to the most action-oriented cops in the department: the SWAT team, which the NYPD called the Emergency Service Division. Within months, the new program is put to the test.

    T-I-M-E Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 23:31 Transcription Available


    After Munich, it becomes clear to NYPD Chief Simon Eisdorfer that police can't just improvise their response to hostage crises as they occur. Enter Harvey Schlossberg, a patrolman with a PhD in clinical psychology who is assigned to come up with a plan. Schlossberg's revolutionary insight—that police don't have to react right away, or try and retake control—meets resistance in an organization that believes the only thing cops should say to criminals is, “Come out with your hands up!” But a training program begins weeks after the Israeli deaths at the Olympics.

    Dog Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 26:31 Transcription Available


    In August 1972, a botched robbery at a Brooklyn bank turns into a hostage standoff—and media circus—that would inspire a classic movie starring Al Pacino. Real-life FBI Agent Jim Murphy tells the inside story of how he drove the robbers and the hostages to JFK Airport, where the often-comic drama reached its tragic conclusion.

    Olympics of Terror

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2022 31:06 Transcription Available


    The 1972 Olympics in West Germany turn from a global celebration to a nightmare as radical Palestinian group Black September takes 11 Israeli athletes hostage. With multiple governments involved, chaos ensues, and a series of tactical and communication failures lead to heartbreaking catastrophe as the world watches in horror

    The Lessons Of Attica

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 40:02 Transcription Available


    When inmates riot at Attica prison in September 1971, 47 hostages are seized in a standoff that lasts for days. With no guidelines in place for negotiations, over 30 intermediaries scramble to make a deal that neither side is willing to accept. After Governor Rockefeller decides that the time for talking is over, 39 people are killed and 89 wounded in the brutal retaking of the prison

    Talk To Me: Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2022 0:58 Transcription Available


    Talk to Me tells the inside story of how the field of hostage negotiations was created. In the wake of major 1970's tragedies such as the Attica prison riot and the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, the NYPD realized there was an urgent need to develop a system for handling hostage incidents. With news archives and first-hand accounts from hostage team founders Frank Bolz and Harvey Schlossberg, we bring to life cases large and small to explore what worked—and what didn't. The world's first hostage negotiation team pioneered the use of psychology in saving lives and created a model that is still used around the world today. The series is written and narrated by Edward Conlon, a veteran South Bronx detective and New York Times bestselling author. An XG Productions Series.

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